Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to catheters and catheter guidance systems, and more particularly it relates to catheters and cardiac catheter guidance systems used in the bloodstream of a patient's cardiovascular system.
Description of Related Art
Cardiac catheterization technology is growing rapidly, and there is an increasing demand for simple and inexpensive cardiac catheters that are safe and easy to use.
The use of cardiac catheters has revolutionized the cardiology field. Several notable techniques have been developed based on the use of cardiac catheters, such as angiography which involves direct injection of X-ray contrast agent for better imaging, angioplasty which involves mechanical widening of an obstructed blood vessel with a balloon, and radio frequency (RF) ablation which involves burning a small area of the heart which cause cardiac arrhythmia.
However, navigating a cardiac catheter in a patient's cardiovascular system requires great skills of a highly trained interventional cardiologist. Any damage to the wall of a blood vessel should be minimized as the damage area might become a place where atherosclerotic plaque will start forming. Sometimes the catheter can perforate the wall of a blood vessel causing a life-threatening emergency. The risk of perforation is especially high in complex cases, such as for patients with heavily calcified blood vessels. A simple, inexpensive guidance system can help the interventional cardiologist to maneuver the cardiac catheter in the cardiovascular system while minimizing the risk of perforation to the wall of a blood vessel.
The most common catheter guidance technique currently in use is fluoroscopy (X-ray). The drawback is that X-ray exposure to the patient may be high during long, complex procedures. Other recently developed catheter-based imaging systems place magnets or force-contact sensors on a catheter, or utilize near-infrared imaging, for tracking the catheter movement in the cardiovascular system. These systems are rather complicated and quite expensive.
There is a need for a safe, simple and inexpensive catheter guidance system for assisting interventional cardiologist in navigating a catheter in a cardiovascular system, especially in complex cases, such as for patients with heavily calcified blood vessels.